Hà Nội (Hanoi) is the capital of Vietnam and its cultural heart, a city of lakes, tree-lined French colonial boulevards, and a thousand-year-old Old Quarter where every street once specialised in a single trade. Visitors come for street food such as phở and bún chả, egg coffee, water puppet theatre, temples and museums, and easy access to Hạ Long Bay, Ninh Bình, and the northern mountains.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Hà Nội.
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1
Ly Thai To Moves the Capital
Emperor Ly Thai To relocates the capital from Hoa Lu to the site of Dai La citadel and renames it Thang Long (Ascending Dragon), founding the city of Hanoi
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2
Temple of Literature Founded
Emperor Ly Thanh Tong builds the Van Mieu temple to honour Confucius; the Imperial Academy (Quoc Tu Giam) opens in 1076 as Vietnam's first university
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3
Three Mongol Invasions
Tran dynasty forces under Tran Hung Dao repel three Mongol attacks on Thang Long, culminating in the 1288 victory at the Bach Dang River
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4
Le Loi Wins Independence
Le Loi defeats the Ming occupation after a ten-year war and, according to legend, returns a magic sword to a golden turtle in the lake now called Hoan Kiem
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5
Nguyen Dynasty Moves South
Emperor Gia Long makes Hue the capital; Thang Long is renamed a regional citadel town
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6
City Named Hanoi
Emperor Minh Mang names the province Ha Noi ('inside the river') in the reorganised administrative system
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7
French Attack Hanoi
Francis Garnier seizes the Hanoi citadel; France gains control of Tonkin in the following decade and completes the conquest by 1883-1885
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8
Hanoi Becomes Capital of French Indochina
The French colonial government moves to Hanoi, building the Long Bien Bridge, Opera House and a new French Quarter
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9
Declaration of Independence
On 2 September 1945 Ho Chi Minh declares the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi
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10
First Indochina War
Fighting erupts in Hanoi in December 1946; the Viet Minh withdraw and return in triumph in October 1954 after victory at Dien Bien Phu
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11
Christmas Bombing
US B-52 bombers strike Hanoi and Haiphong in December 1972 during Operation Linebacker II; around 1,600 civilians die in Hanoi
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12
Hanoi Capital of Reunified Vietnam
After reunification in July 1976, Hanoi becomes the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
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13
Doi Moi Reforms
The Communist Party launches Doi Moi economic renovation, opening the economy and sparking the growth of modern Hanoi
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14
Ha Tay Merged into Hanoi
Ha Tay Province and parts of Vinh Phuc and Hoa Binh merge into Hanoi, tripling its area to about 3,300 sq km
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15
City Celebrates 1000 Years
Hanoi marks the millennium of Thang Long and UNESCO inscribes the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long as a World Heritage Site
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16
Cat Linh-Ha Dong Metro Opens
Hanoi's first urban metro line opens on 6 November 2021; Line 3 (Nhon-Hanoi Station) opens in phases from 2024
Historical sites
Places where Hà Nội's past comes alive.
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (UNESCO)
The political centre of Vietnam for 13 centuries, inscribed by UNESCO in 2010. Above-ground remains include the Doan Mon gate, Kinh Thien Palace steps with stone dragons and the Hau Lau pavilion, while excavation trenches show layers from the 7th to 19th century.
Where: Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Admission: 30,000 VND (~$1.15)
Temple of Literature and Imperial Academy
Confucian temple founded in 1070 and site of Vietnam's first national university (Quoc Tu Giam, 1076). The 82 Doctors' Steles inscribed with graduates' names from 1442-1779 were listed by UNESCO as Memory of the World in 2011.
Where: Dong Da District, Hanoi
Admission: 70,000 VND (~$2.70)
Hoa Lo Prison
French colonial prison built in 1896 to hold Vietnamese political prisoners, later used to hold American pilots during the Vietnam War. Only the entrance gate and a wing survive; the rest was demolished for a tower block in the 1990s.
Where: Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Admission: 50,000 VND (~$1.90)
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ba Dinh Square
Site where Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence on 2 September 1945; the mausoleum opened in 1975 on the same square. The complex includes the Presidential Palace (1906) and Ho Chi Minh's stilt house.
Where: Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Admission: Free
One Pillar Pagoda
Pagoda built by Emperor Ly Thai Tong after a dream in which the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara handed him a son while seated on a lotus. The French destroyed it in 1954 and it was rebuilt on its original plan.
Where: Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Admission: Free
Bach Ma Temple
Temple built where a white horse is said to have shown King Ly Thai To where to build the walls of Thang Long. It honours the spirit Long Do, guardian of the eastern citadel, and is regarded as the oldest temple in Hanoi.
Where: Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Admission: Free
Long Bien Bridge
Bridge built during French rule as the Paul Doumer Bridge to carry the Hanoi-Haiphong railway across the Red River. Heavily bombed by US aircraft during the war, it was repaired repeatedly and remains in service for trains and two-wheelers.
Where: Long Bien and Hoan Kiem Districts, Hanoi
Admission: Free
Hanoi Opera House and French Quarter
The Opera House opened in 1911 and anchors the planned French Quarter of wide tree-lined boulevards and villas south of Hoan Kiem Lake. It was the site of key events of the August Revolution in 1945.
Where: Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Admission: Exterior free
St. Joseph's Cathedral
Neo-Gothic cathedral built by the French on the site of the Bao Thien pagoda, consecrated on Christmas Day 1887 and the seat of the Archdiocese of Hanoi.
Where: Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Admission: Free
Vietnam Military History Museum and Hanoi Flag Tower
Hanoi Flag Tower (1812) is a surviving Nguyen-era structure of the old citadel. The museum next door displays artefacts from the Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954) and the Vietnam War, including wreckage of B-52 and other aircraft.
Where: Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Admission: 40,000 VND (~$1.55)